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Created to make buffing and polishing easier, H.T. Mould, Inc. of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada has recently released Polish Boss, the first of its kind to use an air-filled drum. The flexible rubber drum, inflated with any pump, enables the tool to conform to a wider variety of convex or concave shapes than other polishing tools. And because the air in the drum can absorb heat, it also extends the life of its belts. Polish Boss is particularly suited for boat parts, motorcycles and cars.

For Canada, Northport Systems Inc. and in the USA, Gemeco Marine Accessories, have announced the availability of intelligent National Marine Electronic Association (NMEA)-compliant interfaces, gateways and cables from Actisense®. Renowned for quality engineering and designs that protect and enhance the integrity of a boat’s electronic systems, the innovative NMEA 2000® product range is purpose-built to meet industry standards, greatly simplify installation and withstand the harsh marine environment.

Sea Ray has announced that it will launch a new sport boat series featuring the very latest in jet propulsion technology. Sea Ray is slated to launch a 21-foot sport boat in fall 2012, followed shortly by a 24-foot model.

According to Robert J. Parmentier, president Sea Ray Group, “We will leverage the world’s leading marine brand, drawing on our best-in-class product development and engineering practices, as well as our award-winning dealer network, to deliver the very best jet propulsion boats on the market.

Mercury Marine announced that the company was the only marine engine manufacturer to receive three “Best Buy” outboard designations from Consumer Digest in its July/August issue published last week.

Mercury winners included the new 150 FourStroke in the 150-199 hp category, the 9.9 hp Bigfoot in the Below 50 hp category and the 75 hp OptiMax in the 75-99 hp division.

Campion Marine, Canada's largest independent fibreglass powerboat manufacturer, has announced Doohan Company Limited as the distributor of Campion products to South Korea, effective June 1, 2012.

Campion Marine participated for the first time at this year's Korean Boat Show during which time Campion's President, Brock Elliott, met with Mr. Park Min Seok to work out details of the agreement.

Patrick Robert William Hurst, Managing Director , Whale (Munster Simms Engineering Ltd) has been honored with an MBE in the 2012 Queens honors list for service to the Northern Ireland Business Community.

Patrick is currently involved in a number of business activities, which include the role of Managing Director for Munster Simms Engineering as well as working on behalf of Invest NI, and a number of privately owned manufacturing companies as an Independent Business Advisor.

Despite being in Chapter 11 proceedings, Hunter Marine Corporation has announced that the company has gained two new US dealers. Simple Sailing Charter & Sales is located in St. Petersburg, FL and operating out of the Municipal Marina in St. Petersburg. They will exclusively represent Hunter’s full line of trailerable small boats and up to the 27 foot keelboat for the Tampa Bay area and the Northern Florida Gulf Coast. Simple Sailing’s owner, Ed Ecker, states that their offering of charters and sailing lessons will give potential customers a chance to “try before they buy” experience.

Custom yacht builder Northern Marine has added Wes Fridell to its team as human resources and safety manager.  Company president Andy McDonald made the announcement.

Fridell has more than 30 years of marine industry experience, serving the boatbuilder, retail, marina and distribution markets.  He worked previously for Northern Marine under former owner Bud LeMieux.

Sea Ray Group, which consists of the Sea Ray and Meridian Yachts brands, continues to add to its award-winning network of sales and service representatives, which numbers more than 400 dealers operating on six continents. The Group is pleased to announce the 20 newest dealers to join its global industry-leading team.

“With the addition of these distinguished dealerships, we continue to expand our heritage of credibility and reliability around the world,” said Rob Parmentier, president of the Sea Ray Group.

ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations) and Southampton Solent University have launched Keel Checker Version 3.0 in response to ISO-12215 Part 9 being published as a full ISO standard on 8 June 2012.

Keel Checker is a free online tool for assessing whether keel designs are within the parameters of ISO 12215-9 (sailing craft appendages) and is intended to serve as a training aid to help with interpretation of the standard.

Marine Industry Dealer Certification is a new industry standards program developed in a cooperative effort by boat manufacturers, dealers, and engine builders, as part of an industry-wide effort to develop programs focused on delivering an excellent boating experience. The program provides dealers with a set of criteria designed to create continuous improvement across all departments and, in turn, develop processes for meeting and exceeding customer expectations. The criteria and business best practices address the quality of dealer sales, service, parts, follow-up, facilities, as well as employee and customer satisfaction. Criteria compliance must be verified by an independent program consultant, and dealers are reevaluated every year to ensure they continue to meet the Certification requirements.

In a Canadian Press report, we learned that two search-and rescue-volunteers have died after a boating accident on a dangerous set of rapids on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.

The two women died late Sunday morning, June 2nd on the Skookumchuk rapids, about 60 kilometres north of Sechelt, B.C. The RCMP said four members of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue were heading through the rapids in a boat when the accident occurred.

At the end of May, Florida-based Tiger International Management entered into an asset purchase agreement with Hunter Marine Corp., Luhrs Corp. and Mainship Corp., according to court documents posted recently.

In what’s known as a “floor bidder” or  “stalking horse agreement,” Tiger International was approved by courts and creditors to become a base bidder for all assets of Hunter Marine and selected assets of Luhrs and Mainship.

Clint Moore has decided to retire as president of Volvo Penta of the Americas after more than 15 years of service. Clint Moore, will retire on September 1, 2012.

Moore, 65, has more than 35 years of experience in the marine industry ranging from propulsion to boat building to retail sales and has been with Volvo Penta since 1996.

ASA Electronics, an international manufacturer of audio and video electronics is proud to announce a new business partnership with Pacific Advantage, who will be responsible for representing ASA in the marine OEM, marine aftermarket and spa industry segments in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

ASA is the manufacturer of the Jensen marine brand of stereos, speakers, LCD TVs and other premium accessories. All of their products are specifically designed to withstand the rigors associated with an aquatic environment.

According to a recent CBC Windsor, Ontario web story, Ottawa will make a significant investment to protect the Great Lakes from the threat of Asian carp, a large invasive fish that could jeopardize the food supply of native species if it enters Canadian waters from the U.S.

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Keith Ashfield has just announced that $17.5 million will be allocated over the next five years to four key activities: prevention, early warning, rapid response and management and control.

On May 28 and 29, 2012, members of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Canada met directly with Canadian MPs on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at the industry's first-ever Recreational Boating Day on the Hill.

NMMA Canada's board of directors and several of its members were organized into small groups for face-to-face meetings with more than a dozen MPs from ridings across Canada, members of Transport Canada and other policy makers.

In an announcement made May 31, 2012, we have learned that BRP is reorganizing part of its operations. Starting in 2013, the company will expand its existing production capacity in Mexico by transferring engines currently being manufactured in Juárez to a new plant. The assembly of watercraft (PWC) will also be transferred from Valcourt to the new plant. In addition, BRP will assign the North American distribution of its parts, accessories and clothing (PAC) to a logistics provider.

Crestliner is proud to welcome Shane Turcotte as the newest member of the Crestliner National Pro Team. Hailing from Goulais River, Ontario, Canada, Turcotte has been fishing for more than 30 years. He launched his professional fishing career more than four years ago, and quickly made a name for himself as a fierce competitor and seasoned educator.

Turcotte splits his time on the water between tournament fishing—on the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit—and teaching others tips and techniques for multiple species through his guide service,